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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · spell · prune · bank · branch · roll · bulb · pitcher

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. branch — a division
  11. roll — a cake
  12. cold — an illness
  13. spell — letters
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bank — for money
  16. bulb — for light
  17. roll — a list
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — not warm
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com